Last Monday we leisurely traveled to Bristol, TN to visit one of my nieces. Leisure travel (stopping when you want to see whatever hits your fancy) is something I have always wanted to do. Usually we're on a timeline with a deadline and nod longingly at billboards or brochures and keep on rolling. We enjoyed our brief time with them. I don't remember the name of the restaurant where we ate, but it was very colorful with metallic flowers and designs and whimsical colors. My friend Sara would call it kindergarten art, or folk art. The food was good, but then we went to a bakery downtown that had live bluegrass music...and the BEST food. The hardest part was deciding what to go. I actually got a slice of chocolate cake with chocolate icing. And the craziest thing? I left 1/3 of it on the plate. YES... me, the chocoholic who does not believe in wasting food. I couldn't eat it all.
We didn't do the best job of choosing accommodations. The tiny motel we stayed in, while very clean, reeked of cigarette smoke. And the next morning we I pulled out one of the towels for Bobby, it was threadbare. I kid you not. We could see through several parts in the towel. White as all get all, not a spot or discoloration to be seen anywhere, just clearly very well worn (and bleached?). I don't think we'll stay there on the next visit. So when we left heading home I had a very bad headache (I assumed from the smokey room), and it eased and worsened as we headed home and stopped in various antique stores. It was a great trip.
Wednesday was catch up day, and as we headed to church, I began to feel very tired. Thursday morning I woke up to a very sore throat, congestion, and a fever. I alternated between sleeping and laundry. Friday I had no voice, and tried to get in to see the dr, knowing we had a crazy weekend ahead of us, but to no avail. So I continued using the over-the-counter stuff as much as a possible, hoping that I'd wake up Saturday and all would be well. That afternoon we got a call that they wanted us at the hospital by 2pm Sunday. (Bobby had a routine test scheduled for Monday) That was a bit earlier than we had anticipated. Saturday we slept late, and then ran errands. Sunday morning they actually called us at 9:15am and wanted to know when could we get there. I was thinking it was going to be a terrible time between not feeling well and never getting rest at the hospital. It actually turned out to be one of the most restful hospital stays we've ever had. And while I didn't feel well, I survived. I was thankful we pushed for a hospital stay for the prep. The nurses kept a close eye on Bobby's blood pressure, and while it was very high the whole duration of prep, he never exhibited the extreme problems we were anticipating. But seeing the nurses concern during some of the time made me thankful we and his dr's office had pushed the insurance company for an early admission.
And Sunday morning we found out Bobby's Mom was at the ER with a kidney stone, and my aunt was at the ER with a stroke. Bobby somewhat laughingly said it must be the weekend to be at the hospital. After everything was finished Monday and dismissal papers were readied, we stopped for a late lunch (2pm), as Bobby had not been able to eat anything since Saturday night. His choice of "soft food"? A Hardee's hot dog. Not kidding. He said that was the softest thing he could think of.
I think I slept 10 hours last night, and if I allowed myself to, I think I could sleep the rest of the day. I can actually breath today and have almost no coughing, but I still have no voice and my temp is still around 97. Hoping I will be well tomorrow.
And we're down to one biddie. The momma hen squished the two youngest, and we think a hawk got the last three. I think it's Tuesday, but it feels an awful lot like Saturday morning.
We didn't do the best job of choosing accommodations. The tiny motel we stayed in, while very clean, reeked of cigarette smoke. And the next morning we I pulled out one of the towels for Bobby, it was threadbare. I kid you not. We could see through several parts in the towel. White as all get all, not a spot or discoloration to be seen anywhere, just clearly very well worn (and bleached?). I don't think we'll stay there on the next visit. So when we left heading home I had a very bad headache (I assumed from the smokey room), and it eased and worsened as we headed home and stopped in various antique stores. It was a great trip.
Wednesday was catch up day, and as we headed to church, I began to feel very tired. Thursday morning I woke up to a very sore throat, congestion, and a fever. I alternated between sleeping and laundry. Friday I had no voice, and tried to get in to see the dr, knowing we had a crazy weekend ahead of us, but to no avail. So I continued using the over-the-counter stuff as much as a possible, hoping that I'd wake up Saturday and all would be well. That afternoon we got a call that they wanted us at the hospital by 2pm Sunday. (Bobby had a routine test scheduled for Monday) That was a bit earlier than we had anticipated. Saturday we slept late, and then ran errands. Sunday morning they actually called us at 9:15am and wanted to know when could we get there. I was thinking it was going to be a terrible time between not feeling well and never getting rest at the hospital. It actually turned out to be one of the most restful hospital stays we've ever had. And while I didn't feel well, I survived. I was thankful we pushed for a hospital stay for the prep. The nurses kept a close eye on Bobby's blood pressure, and while it was very high the whole duration of prep, he never exhibited the extreme problems we were anticipating. But seeing the nurses concern during some of the time made me thankful we and his dr's office had pushed the insurance company for an early admission.
And Sunday morning we found out Bobby's Mom was at the ER with a kidney stone, and my aunt was at the ER with a stroke. Bobby somewhat laughingly said it must be the weekend to be at the hospital. After everything was finished Monday and dismissal papers were readied, we stopped for a late lunch (2pm), as Bobby had not been able to eat anything since Saturday night. His choice of "soft food"? A Hardee's hot dog. Not kidding. He said that was the softest thing he could think of.
I think I slept 10 hours last night, and if I allowed myself to, I think I could sleep the rest of the day. I can actually breath today and have almost no coughing, but I still have no voice and my temp is still around 97. Hoping I will be well tomorrow.
And we're down to one biddie. The momma hen squished the two youngest, and we think a hawk got the last three. I think it's Tuesday, but it feels an awful lot like Saturday morning.
Comments